Schwarzenegger defends trip to Washington on election day

Speaking to reporters in Washington today, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger defended his decision to attend a White House ceremony announcing an agreement on fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions instead of trying to rally voters for the state’s crucial special election.

“I did vote absentee. And I'm looking forward to the outcome. Tonight, or tomorrow morning, we will know.  And I will be back tomorrow morning to bring back the good news of what happened here today, how this is a huge victory for California,” Schwarzenegger said. “And tomorrow, we will deal with the results of the election. And we will have a Big Five meeting and get together with the legislative leaders.”

Schwarzenegger rejected the suggestion that the state would be ungovernable without the passage of state budget propositions.

 

“Elections are always, you win or you lose, and I think that we always will know how to move forward and make the adjustment. We always respect the will of the people,” he said. “But right now, I think, what is important today, since we don't know what the outcome is of the election, tomorrow, we will analyze that. And we will move forward according to that. But today we are going to go and celebrate this great victory.”

“During this last weekend, we negotiated and the negotiations got very intense and all of a sudden they all clicked and we came together,” Schwarzenegger said of the talks between the White House, several states, automakers and other parties on the new national fuel efficiency and emissions standards. “Then the president asked me to come here to the White House right along with [Massachusetts] Gov. [Deval] Patrick and [Michigan] Gov. [Jennifer] Granholm and our team to go and bring everyone together and to celebrate and sign this agreement. When the president asks you to come and be part of a celebration and sign an agreement, you do it, especially when you feel so passionate about the subject.”

 

— Jim Puzzanghera in Washington

Comments

[ldb]

Someone needs to tell Arnold that the Woody Woodpecker hair dye job just ain't happening.

[NQ]

It is completely ironic that Governor Schwarzenegger, who owns multiple Humvees, would be at any signing having to do with automobile emissions. I'm sure this irony is lost on Governor Arnold. I know that is not what this article is about, it is about him traveling to D.C. on an election day that is about the California budget... and yet this article doesn't even mention that he is no doubt traveling on CA tax dollars. But to overlook that Arnold was the person that helped convince GMC to market the Humvee in the first place is overlooking what a joke this Governor is when it comes to his choice of vehicles and, I have to say again, a complete irony to have him at this signing.

[Ken P.]

Arnold, stay in Washington. Look for a job there. Today Californians are joining together to reject the economic plan you cooked up with the state legislature. While you're at it, take the rest of the legislature with you. You're all worthless.

[Joe Jericho]

Not the same Arnold that challenged Gray Davis in 2003. What a disappointment. I knew he was a Libertarian going in, but I don't think we can even give him that much credit anymore. A lot of people nationally suspect he was also in DC begging Obama for a handout/bailout. At any rate, his term can't end soon enough. Then again, if we end up with Gavin Newsom, we may look upon the current day as the good old days.

[J.D.]

NOW, it's time to cut back on expenditures. We can start with ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION benefits that have been costing our state billions for years. We can NEVER become economically sound if we continue to welcome a population that takes more in social benefits than it pays in taxes. That's a fact. Indisputable.

HUD reports that at least 5 million fraudulent mortgages are held by illegal aliens. California has at least 4 million illegal aliens. Do you want to take a guess on how many foreclosed homes were given to illegal aliens? Perhaps the LA Times can investigate...

We waste SO much on unnecessary pet projects in Sacramento. The problem, ultimately, is that liberal tax & spend policies are incompatible with the initiatives approved by the California people over the years. Either the California Dems are going to have to start acting like fiscal conservatives, or Californians are going to have to elect some Republicans.

That's our only hope.

[Joaquin]

I could not figure out why Arnuld would be in DC for a law that has minimal implications for California, never mind that he uses a private jet for his travels and a Humvee while on the ground. I wonder what size his carbon footprints might be…irony at its finest… I for one can’t wait for this terrible sequel of a bad move to be over.